Friends and Sisters

This first picture was taken a few weeks ago when I got to spend an evening with two terrific ladies who have been my friends since their days in youth group. Such fun - then and now!

Tina, me, Lisa

Our 'dearest and best' treated us to dinner for our anniversary. As always, we enjoyed lively conversation and some hearty laughs :)

Bill, Dick, Jacque

This 'potato' was our dessert. It's really ice cream rolled in Dutch cocoa and cinnamon - yummy!

We have a six-times-a-year tradition of ordering dessert after dinner
- with four forks.
There is always a toast for the occasion.

For our annual 'Mom and Sisters Getaway' this year, Marva planned a wonderful two days up at Mackinaw. She provided lots of special treats and didn't miss one detail. She will be a hard act to follow (sorry, Beckie....).


Some fun pictures....

Anna had a conference at Hope, so Bill & I got to spend a few hours with the kids in Holland.

This is a picture of Noah making kale 'chips' - he wants to be a chef someday :)

If Grandpa is along, we ALWAYS get ice cream!

There is no doubt that Noah loves his sisters.

We made a stop at the community garden where Abby tended to the purple peppers.

It was a warm night and the cool grass felt SO good!

This is the only picture I got at our family reunion on Sunday.

Aunt Lila, Mary, David

There was a great group of students, parents, staff, and community members who gathered for prayer at South Christian on Sunday evening. This group of students was praying when we arrived.



Denise spotted this tree along the road as we drove north to Mackinaw. We couldn't figure out why all the shoes were hanging in the tree, but it sure was interesting.

Keep your eyes open -
intriguing sights are all around us.

Not much commentary, just lots of fun photos.......

Steve spotted 'his' first car while on the road this week :)
Can that really be 23 years ago?!?
(I erased the license number)

LOVE this picture of Laura taken at Betsy & Nick's wedding.
Great breeze on a warm night, homemade cake, seeing her cousins - no wonder she's smiling!
(Thanks, Katie.....I pulled the pic off fb :)

Tori turned ten this month! We loved taking her out for a birthday dinner :)

Tori mopped the floor and did some other cleaning for me
- this house didn't get much attention this summer.

Can't beat ice cream on a hot summer day

Jacob was busy making this great helicopter
when we stopped by the cottage last weekend

Dinner with John & Jo - wonderful as always!

There's a precious little girl in CA who kept four grandparents entertained
for a good long time on Friday night :)

Amelia showed us how she puts puzzles together

Lunch with Steve and Michele - great to catch up once again......

With Jainyah at a church picnic Sunday evening

Pastor Bob with his mother - what a delightful woman!

A short slide show of some fun times with our Holland family :)

Great picture of Amelia's hair after a nap....

Sometimes life is just a mess.

God is our refuge and our strength,
our ever-present help in the time of trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Praying for J.V.

I'm Back

After a 6-week hiatus from this blog, Mom and Laura will be happy to know I'm back to posting pics so they can stay up with our daily life here in Michigan :)

There are TONS of pictures, so they are organized mostly into slide shows. The pictures start with our time at the cottage in early July. Our entire family was together for a weekend during which we celebrated the summer birthdays of Lynn, Anna, Ty, Deven,and Tori. Those few days are my favorite days of the entire year! I also had some extra time with Laura and Amelia, so there are lots of pictures of the two of them.

Birthdays....

Lots of family on the 4th of July...

Tom & Anna invited us for supper and then an evening at the Ottawa County Fair - pure fun!

Steve's business, Village Flooring, sponsored a pie fight at the Byron Days Festival. It was wild and crazy fun that promoted stain-resistant carpet which was then expertly cleaned by Sterk Cleaners. The carpet was donated to Buist Community Ministries here in town.

Between all the fun, I came down with the most vicious case of pneumonia. It was not fun. Felt absolutely horrible. Missed nearly three weeks of life. I'm still having a pity party about missing a whole week of Laura and Amelia's visit and the wedding of sweet niece, Betsy Anne and Nick......

Photo booth fun - Laura (on right) with cousins :)

That's my empty chair, reserved and decorated for me by my family.....

On a much brighter note, we enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends up on the Muskegon River. Thanks, Tom & Ila, for your hospitality once again - our time at your little piece of paradise has become one of our favorite summer traditions!

Tom, Ila, Diane, Brian, Bill


MANY thanks to my family and friends
who offered prayers, provided meals, and offered fellowship
during the weeks I barely left the recliner.
It's good to be back in the land of the living!